Category: June 2019

By Khaled Diab, EEB & Tanja Gohlert, GCAP

Despite the European Union’s commitment to leave no one behind, millions of people in Europe are falling victim to widening inequalities, according to a new major EU-wide report – ‘Falling through the cracks: Exposing inequalities in Europe and beyond’. The report will be launched on 18 June 2019 at the European Development Days (EDDs) in Brussels.

Please join this special EDDs side event on Tuesday 18/06 from 16:00-17:30 in Room L1, which will present the report, highlight the action and inaction at the European level, and feature the perspectives from youth activists, inequalities from a national context, as well as the inequalities experienced by disabled persons.

You will be able to download the report from 18 June at www.sdgwatcheurope.org/SDG10.

Read more: https://www.sdgwatcheurope.org/europes-failure-to-stamp-out-inequalities/

About the report

‘Falling through the cracks: Exposing inequalities in Europe and beyond’ shines a light on the impact of rising inequalities on people and planet. The report makes for sobering reading and maps the reality of various forms of inequality, both nationally and at the European level. It consists of 15 national reports and 11 thematic chapters exploring key dimensions of inequality, including gender, age, disability, ethnicity and homelessness.

Why this matters

The EU, the world’s second largest economy, prides itself on its egalitarianism and progressive social model, while glaring inequalities are seen as a problem afflicting other parts of the world. But this is not the reality – there are many forms of inequalities in Europe and they are widening. If urgent action is not taken to address these gaping disparities, the EU is at risk of not meeting its commitments to the Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 10, to narrow inequalities within and between countries.

Civil society has taken the opportunity to provide an analysis of the different dimensions of inequality that exist – and persist – across the European Union. We are using this moment to present concrete policy recommendations to the EU, its new political leadership and its Member States. Our purpose is to provide information and proposals to address inequalities effectively – a first and necessary step towards ensuring a just transition towards human well-being within the planet’s ecological limits, and to leave no one behind.

This report has been produced as part of the pan-European project, Make Europe Sustainable for All, in close collaboration with SDG Watch Europe, and with the contributions of 58 organizations.

The report also contributes to the global Faces of Inequality and European Fight Inequalities campaigns, which gives social exclusion, poverty and discrimination a face. The campaigns are built jointly by members and partners – especially organisations of marginalized and excluded peoples.

About us

SDG Watch Europe is a cross-sectoral civil society alliance made up of over 100 organisations. It advocates for ambitious implementation of the SDGs.  

Make Europe Sustainable for All (MESA) is coordinated by the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) and implemented in 15 European countries by 25 partners. It aims to raise awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

For questions and queries, please contact:

Khaled Diab

Senior communications officer, EEB

e-mail: khaled.diab@eeb.eu

Tel: +32 2 289 1369

Small Towns facing global challenges of Agenda 2030 & Petition to create European Day of Memory and Welcome (3 October).

By Snapshots From The Borders

Migration is a complex and multidimensional phenomenon and a political issue which needs concrete actions taken by all levels of society. The project promotes a more effective policy coherence through a strengthened network of European border Towns directly facing migration flow. This is central to adress mobility and inequalities, build a world which leave no one behind. Critical understanding of European, national and and local authorities’ policy/decision makers and of public opinion about factors determining migration flows towards European borders, contributes to sustainable development.

Our campaign: No More Bricks in the Wall

The No More Bricks in the Wall Campaign informs European citizens about migration as a complex and multidimensional phenomenon and a political issue which needs efforts and concrete actions taken by people and organizations/networks at all levels of society. It wants to attract citizens in border areas and all around Europe both already working in solidarity with migrants and the most skeptical and critical ones.

Our Petition: Make 3rd October the European Day of Memory and Welcome

Borders areas want to raise their voices and call on all institutional levels (national & European) to implement coherent policies. People fleeing war and persecution very often do not have safe and regular alternatives to reach Europe. Only by making these solutions available urgently, people will not be forced to resort to traffickers risking their lives. By bringing voices and effective solutions from the border territories where migration is lived directly, we call for a fairer world.

Sign the petition here.

In 2016 the Italian Senate established by law that the date of 3 October would be the Day of Memory and Welcome, to be celebrated every year to remember and commemorate all the victims of immigration and to promote awareness and solidarity initiatives. It is time we introduce this day in entire Europe.

Since 3 October 2013, over 17,900 migrants and refugees have died or are missing in the Mediterranean Sea. While 2016 was the most lethal year, with 5,096 people who lost their lives in a desperate attempt to find salvation in Europe. In 2018 one out of every 18 people who crossed the Mediterranean heading to Europe lost his/her live: an unacceptable human cost and an unacceptable human statistic.

The 3rd of October will be a day to commemorate and reflect on these human losses; a day where wrong policies confront our individual and European values which should always stand higher. A day to remember the past, to correct the present and to envision our European future of solidarity and respect of all human lives.

Our Borders Towns and Islands Network

Strengthened networks of border towns and islands for equal opportunities, poverty reduction, gender equality and sustainable development

The Border Towns and Island Network allows border towns and islands to host migrants in solidarity and dignity, improving the human conditions of migrant people hosted but keeping in the focus also the need of local people and communities hosting. It is a network of actors that want to strengthen the voice of those territories and act to improve policies at all levels and the lives of any human being in their community. It collects the voices, experiences, needs and priorities of both local citizens and migrants hosted in their communities at EU borders.

Project: Snapshots From The Borders

Snapshots From The Borders is a 3-year project co-funded by the European Union (EuropeAid DEAR budget line), run by 35 partners, border Local Authorities and Civil Society organisations. The project aims to improve the critical understanding of European, national and local decision makers and of public opinion about global interdependencies determining migration flows towards European borders, in the perspective of reaching SDGs targets, especially SDG 1, 5, 10 11 and 16. Specifically, the project intends to strengthen a new horizontal, active network among cities directly facing migration flows at EU borders, as a way to promote more effective policy coherence at all levels (European, national, local).

More information:  

Website > www.snapshotsfromtheborders.eu

FB > https://www.facebook.com/snapshotsfromtheborders/

Twitter > https://twitter.com/SnapshotsEU

Instagram > https://www.instagram.com/snapshots.eu/

A new game tests your knowledge about the SDGs and takes you on a treasure hunt through downtown Brussels.

By KHALED DIAB, EEB

Although the United Nations set the Sustainable Development Goals back in 2015, awareness about and knowledge of them amongst European citizens is patchy. Almost nine out of 10 EU citizens have either not heard about the SDGs (58%) or have heard about them but do not know what they are (29%), according to a survey conducted by Eurobarometer, the EU’s polling agency.

If you are not a member of the knowledgeable 10%, the Make Europe Sustainable for All (MESA) project, which has 25 members in 15 European countries, has just the ticket for you. It has developed a virtual treasure hunt based on the SDGs which you can play on your mobile phone.

“With this game we hope to bring clarity about the SDGs to people and to encourage them to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle, coherent with the spirit of the SDGs,” said Eva Izquierdo, project officer for global policies and sustainability at the European Environmental Bureau, the lead partner on MESA.

After downloading and installing the ‘Spot the 17!’ game and scanning the relevant QR code, players in Brussels are ready to roll and to stroll. Using your phone’s geolocation abilities, the game leads you on a guided exploration of the wonders of the 17 SDGs and of the delights of the EU and Belgian capital.

The game, which was developed on behalf of MESA by the Greek NGO Fair Trade Hellas, is currently only available for Brussels, but versions for other cities may soon be in the pipeline. “This fun game can easily be replicated in different EU cities,” notes Izquierdo.

Spoiler alert

So what are the Sustainable Development Goals and why do they matter to you?

Without wishing to spoil ‘Spot the 17!’ for you, here is a brief overview of the SDGs.

Passed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015, the SDGs succeeded the earlier Millennium Development Goals. The 17 SDGs, which should be achieved by 2030, include the eradication of poverty and hunger, promoting good health and wellbeing, quality education and gender equality. For the 17 goals, there are 169 targets.

Unlike the MDGs, the SDGs apply to every country in the world, not just the so-called global ‘South’. Despite this, Europeans are generally not aware that the SDGs apply to them too, and European policy-makers have not prioritised them, even though they are essential to the sustainability and fairness of European society.

This is the raison d’etre of the MESA project which seeks to raise awareness and understanding of the SDGs in Europe and to promote their ambitious implementation through advocacy and communications activities in partnership with SDG Watch Europe, which specifically seeks to hold governments to account for the implementation of the SDGs by 2030.

 

By Climate Alliance

In March and April 2019, a Climate Alliance delegation undertook a tour in Ecuador, Peru and Brazil in support of indigenous partners and partnerships.

We are happy to share the experiences of Climate Alliance President and Mayor of Cologne Andreas Wolter, Climate Alliance Executive Director Thomas Brose and Climate Alliance Austria Executive Director Markus Hafner-Auinger as well as Johannes Kandler of Climate Alliance Austria and Silke Lunnebach of the Climate Alliance Headquarters in Frankfurt below. For more photo highlights, see our Flickr albums!

Find out how your network is supporting climate justice and enjoy the read!

First stop: Quito, Ecuador

COICA’s Birthday Celebration

COICA, our key indigenous partner of over 25 years, has just celebrated its 35th birthday! Our gift: the launch of a new renewable energies fund for small scale projects throughout Amazonia. COICA highlighted its commitment to protecting indigenous sacred headwaters via an initiative by the same name as well as to the use of renewable energies for energy independence and territorial protection.

“I’m a grandfather now, but I still feel strong enough to fight for the Amazon.”

– Evaristo Nugkuag Ikanan, first COICA coordinator and co-founder of Climate Alliance

Fund for Renewable Energies

Many indigenous peoples either lack access to energy or are reliant on the very fossil fuel companies threatening their existence. Initiatives such as solar lamps and solar powered boats counter this situation and are very much worth supporting. In honour of COICA’s birthday, we thus announced a new fund for renewable energies. Towns and other interested parties will soon be able to contribute via the fund and thus support small scale renewable energy projects in Amazonia.

Second stop: Lima, Peru

Meeting with indigenous mayors

In Lima, Climate Alliance President & Cologne Mayor Andreas Wolter opened a meeting between indigenous mayors, representatives of Peruvian communal reserves and the Climate Alliance delegation as part of Cologne’s climate partnership. The meeting allowed for an discussion of synergies in support of climate goals. Here we exchanged with the Peruvian Ministry’s Natural Protected Areas department (SERNANP) as well as the indigenous organisation ANECAP. Our next step: a letter asking the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development to include indigenous communities in their Municipal Climate Partnership programme.

Fridays for Future message

Olenka, the workshop’s youngest participant, was excited to learn about the Fridays for Future movement. Andreas Wolter’s explanation of how students in Cologne and across the world are striking for the climate inspired her to deliver her own video message, which we are happy to share.

“It is important that we all stand and fight together for the global climate and for the protection of the Amazon – the lung of our planet.”

– Olenka, Yanesha girl from Santa Rosa de Chuchurras, Selva Central, Peru

Third stop: Yarinacocha, Peru

Delegation tour Municipal Climate Partnership Cologne – Yarinacocha

Pucallpa – District Yarinacocha

Next we stopped in the Yarinacocha District of Peru, as part of Cologne, Germany’s Municipal Climate Partnership. What a welcome! The mayor of Yarinacocha Jerly Diaz Chota, city representatives, the partner organisation FECONAU and the entire indigenous community welcomed us with music and dance.

Exchange with indigenous youth  and the LGTB community

The inclusion of civil society and indigenous peoples is key to the success of the Cologne – Yarinacocha partnership. The Acitcjia Bekanwe youth organisation as well as the Ucayali Equality and Future movement (MOCIFU) each invited us to exchange on climate partnership ideas.

Climate action unites!

Shipibo community visit

We had the opportunity to visit the Shipibo community of San Salvador. The community  takes part in Cologne’s municipal climate partnership and can count on support in the fields of health care, economic development and infrastructure. Like many communities near urban areas, San Salvador no longer has any intact rainforest and lacks its own territory.

Indigenous women – community pillars     

The Shipibo are well known for their textile art. The designs symbolise their vision of the cosmos and their cultural identity. San Ken Xobo, and indigenous women’s cooperative for handicrafts, has already benefited from the Cologne climate partnership: representatives of the cooperative sold their goods at a Christmas market in Cologne last year and plans to develop an online marketing platform with the support of a school in Cologne are now underway.

Water and waste water

The lagoon of Yarinacocha may be the namesake of the Pucallpa district, but its waters are extremely polluted. There are almost no sewage treatment plants and the huge palm oil plantations in the region make the situation even worse. Through its climate partnership, Cologne is supporting the City of Yarinacocha and its action plan with both its knowledge and experience.

Renewable Energy for the University

During the tour, the mayors of Yarinacocha and Cologne commissioned Yarinacocha’s first solar plant on the roof of the local university with the university’s president. The pilot project consists of 20 panels (6.4 kW) and is a small, symbolic contribution  intended to raise awareness on renewable energies – amongst the professors, the students and the community. Read more in this Deutsche Welle article (in Spanish).

“Climate action means moving away from oil and coal and towards renewable energies – to protect the climate and the rainforests.”

– Andreas Wolter, Climate Alliance President and Mayor of Cologne.    

The forest and municipality of Alexander von Humboldt

To get a glimpse of ongoing efforts on the ground to preserve pieces of intact forest, the mayor of the municipality of Alexander von Humboldt invited the Climate Alliance delegation to the Humboldt forest. There we learned about a variety of initiatives that are a strong counter-movement to the countless acres of palm oil plantations in the area.

“Nature must be felt, who only sees and abstracts it, can […] dissect plants and animals, he will know how to describe nature, but he himself will be eternally alien to it”

– Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt

Fourth stop: Manaus, Brazil

Renewable Energy and Communities fair

As the final stop on our tour, we had the pleasure of participating in the first fair on renewables for communities in Amazonia with our partner and fair organiser ISA (Instituto Socioambiental). The focus of the fair was on energy strategies in the Amazon region and solutions for communities without access to the public power grid. Climate Alliance and Climate Alliance Austria participated with various activities and discussed new approaches with more than 400 participants from the Amazon region.

Among the highlights:

• Climate Alliance exhibition with photo booth
• Screening of the documentary, Heat, accompanied by a discussion with Almerinda Ramos of FOIRN and Johann Kandler of Climate Alliance Austria
• Workshop on small scale solutions with COICA and Kara Solar

The presentation of the Kara Solar project was a special highlight. Kara Solar is a solar-powered boat that has been developed in collaboration with the indigenous Achuar people of the Ecuadorian Amazon. Adolfo Chávez of COICA helped present this pilot project as an important part of COICA’s energy strategy for the entire Amazon Basin. We support COICA in this strategy and also presented experiences from the long-standing solar lamp project in Peru.

“The fair is a good opportunity to exchange with others on renewable energy strategies for communities… We are delighted to be able to support COICA and its member organisations in these questions going forward.”

– Thomas Brose, Executive Director of Climate Alliance

Your Climate Alliance Network is hard at work in the fight for climate justice, both here in Europe and in the rainforests of the Amazon…

Want to find out more? Contact us!

Silke Lunnebach

1. +49 69 717 139-32
2. s.lunnebach@climatealliance.org

Thomas Brose

1. +49 69 717139-31
2. t.brose@climatealliance.org